Effects of Almond Consumption on the Human Gastrointestinal Microbiota and Metabolic Health (SNACKing)

December 3, 2024 updated by: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

SNACKing Study: Effects of Snacking on the Gastrointestinal Microbiota and Metabolism

The proposed work will investigate the effect of almond consumption as a snack on human gastrointestinal microbiota and on metabolic health.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

This study is a randomized, controlled, investigator-blinded, parallel arm design with two treatment conditions. There will be a phone screening, in person pre-intervention testing, a one-week baseline period devoid of all nuts and seeds followed by a 12-week intervention period, and a post-testing appointment. Participants will be randomized to consume almonds or isocaloric snack for 12 weeks. Participants will provide stool samples during baseline testing and during the 12th week of the intervention.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
40

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Contact Backup

  • Name: Ginger Reeser, MS RD

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Illinois
      • Urbana, Illinois, United States, 61801
        • University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

30 years to 60 years (Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Males & Females
  • 30-60 years of age
  • BMI 25-34.9 kg/m^2
  • Ability to drop off fecal sample within 15 minutes of defecation

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Physician diagnosed metabolic or gastrointestinal diseases
  • Fasting blood glucose >126 mg/dL
  • Blood pressure >160/100 mm Hg
  • Anemia
  • Elevation in serum transaminases (i.e. >3 times the upper limit of normal)
  • Evidence of liver disease, including primary biliary cirrhosis or gallbladder disease, constipation
  • Currently taking lipid-lowering medications, oral hypoglycemic agents, or insulin, or medications known to impact bowel function.
  • Pregnant, breastfeeding or postmenopausal
  • Smoker, tobacco use
  • Allergic to nuts
  • Consume > 2 alcoholic beverages/day
  • Abuse drugs
  • Have had > 5% weight change in the past month or > 10% change in the past year
  • Have taken antibiotics during the previous 2 months
  • Unable to consume the experimental treatments (almonds or pretzels)
  • Bariatric surgery
  • Gallbladder removal
  • Allergic to lidocaine or other topical anesthetics

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Basic Science
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: Intervention
The intervention arm consists of daily consumption of the investigator's intervention snack over the course of 12 weeks.
Dietary supplement: Almonds
Participants in the intervention group will consume 2oz of almonds daily over the course of 12 weeks.
Placebo Comparator: Isocaloric Control
The control arm consists of daily consumption of an isocaloric snack over the course of 12 weeks.
Dietary supplement: Pretzels
Participants in the control group will consume an isocaloric amount of pretzels daily over the course of 12 weeks.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Changes in gastrointestinal microbiota composition
Time Frame: Baseline & 12-week mark
Determine the impact of daily consumption of almonds on the gastrointestinal microbiota compared to control (pretzels) by sequencing the V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene in fecal samples.
Baseline & 12-week mark
Changes in abundance of fecal Roseburia spp
Time Frame: Baseline & 12-week mark
Determine the impact of daily consumption of almonds on the abundance of Roseburia spp. compared to control (pretzels) by using quantitative real-time PCR.
Baseline & 12-week mark
Changes in abundance of fecal Butyryl CoA: Acetate CoA transferase
Time Frame: Baseline & 12-week mark
Determine the impact of daily consumption of almonds on the abundance of Butyryl CoA: Acetate CoA transferase gene compared to control (pretzels) by using quantitative real-time PCR.
Baseline & 12-week mark
Changes in gastrointestinal microbial-derived metabolite concentrations
Time Frame: Baseline & 12-week mark
Determine the impact of daily consumption of almonds on the concentration of microbial-derived metabolites compared to control (pretzels) by using gas-liquid chromatography. These metabolites include butyrate and secondary bile acids.
Baseline & 12-week mark

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Changes in liver fat
Time Frame: Baseline & 12-week mark
Determine the impact of daily consumption of almonds on liver fat percentages compared to control (pretzels) by quantitative liver ultrasound.
Baseline & 12-week mark
Changes in glycemic control.
Time Frame: Baseline & 12-week mark
Determine the impact on oral glucose tolerance within intervention (almond) and control (pretzel) groups by using a mixed meal tolerance test.
Baseline & 12-week mark
Changes in secondary measures of gastrointestinal health.
Time Frame: Baseline & 12-week mark
Determine the impact of daily consumption of almonds on gastrointestinal health compared to control (pretzels) by measuring fecal pH; other microbial fermentation end products and microbial-derived bile acids using gas-liquid chromatography; and alpha- and beta- diversity measures of the gut microbiota community structure using 16S microbiota analyses.
Baseline & 12-week mark

Other Outcome Measures

Other Outcome Measures

For clinical trials, a planned measurement described in the protocol that is used to determine the effect of an intervention/treatment on participants. For observational studies, a measurement or observation that is used to describe patterns of diseases or traits, or associations with exposures, risk factors, or treatment. Types of outcome measures include primary outcome measure and secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Changes in markers of systemic inflammation & metabolism
Time Frame: Baseline & 12-week mark
Determine the impact of daily consumption of almonds on inflammation and metabolism compared to control (pretzels) by measuring biomarker concentrations with ELISA. Specifically, we will look at TNF, CRP, & LPS-BP (inflammatory) and NEFAs (metabolism).
Baseline & 12-week mark
Changes in adiposity.
Time Frame: Baseline & 12-week mark
Determine the impact of daily consumption of almonds on adiposity compared to control (pretzels) using a DXA scan.
Baseline & 12-week mark
Changes in subjective measures of gastrointestinal health.
Time Frame: Baseline & 12-week mark
Determine the impact of daily consumption of almonds on subjective measures of gut health compared to control (pretzels) using stool records. The questionnaire addresses questions related to gastrointestinal health including bloating, flatulence, and stool consistency.
Baseline & 12-week mark

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
Almond Board of California

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Hannah D Holscher, PhD RD, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
February 10, 2020

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
December 20, 2023

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
December 20, 2023

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
November 12, 2019

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
January 7, 2020

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
January 10, 2020

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
December 6, 2024

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
December 3, 2024

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
December 1, 2024

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • 20154

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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